Riding-saddle



(No Model.) Q

S. T., BUTLER.

RIDING SADDLE.

' No. 387,143. PatentedJuly 81, 1888.

WITNESSES,

UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE.

STEPHEN T. BUTLER, OF SOCORRO, TERRITORY OF NElV MEXICO.

RIDING-SADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,143, dated July 31, 1888.

7 Application filed January 30, 1888. Serial No. 262,419. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN 'I. BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Socorro, in the county of Socorro and Territory of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Riding- Saddles; and I do hereby declare that the following IS a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of as much of a saddle and its girths as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a face View of the buckle forming my invention. Fig. 3 is a side or edge view of the buckle and of the upper saddle-strap and of the sinch-ring and sinch or girth. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the buckle; and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the tongue removed from the cross-bar, the lips of the same being unclinched.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to buckles and straps for that class of riding saddles principally used in the western and southwestern section of this continent, in which either two girths or sinches or a girth or sinch having two billets or ends are employed, the sinches or billets being provided with rings, to which the straps fastened to the forward and rear portions of the saddle-tree were attached; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a buckle and its cooperating straps and parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the saddle, which is provided at each side of its saddle-tree 2 with the rings 3 and eyes 4, through which the saddlestrap or lattigo-strap 5 is passed at each side and at each end of the saddle.

The girth or sinch 6 is provided with two billets, 7, at each end in the usual manner, the said billets having the usual sinch-rings, 8, secured in their ends.

In the style of saddles usually employed the saddlestraps or lattigo-straps are passed through their rings and eyes and through the sinch-rings, acting as a rope rceved through a number of pulleys, and the ends of the saddle-straps are usually tied to the parts of the straps passed through the saddle-rings and sinch-rings; or they are secured by means of a plain buckle, both methods of fastening, however, having the drawbacks of requiring frequent adjustment, as well as also having the chief drawback of requiring a complete unreeving of the straps whenever the saddle is to be removed. For the purpose of avoiding these drawbacks I reeve the saddle-straps or lattigostraps through the upper ends of buckles having a snap-hook at their lower ends, so that by loosening the straps slightly without unreeving them the hooks may be removed from the sinch-rings.

The buckles consist of a body, 9, having two transverse loops or strap-passages, l0 and 11, at the upper portion and a hook portion, 12, at the lower end, the upwardly-projecting free end of the hook having a recess, 13, in its inner side.

The body of the hook below the lower strappassage is formed with an aperture, 14, having a cross-bar, 15, at its upper end, and the tongue 16 is formed with a cross-piece, 17, which may fit Within the aperture in the body, and which is formed with two lips, 18, with which it may straddle the crossbar in the aperture, the lips being clinched around the bar after the tongue is placed in its proper posi tion, so that the tongue will be pivoted upon the said bar and will be kept from wabbling upon the same by the cross-piece bearing with its ends against the edges of the aperture.

The upper end of the tongue will bear against the cross-bar 19, separating the two strap-passages, and the lower end of thetongue will bearinto the recess in the up wardlly'turned end of the hook.

The saddle-strap or lattigo-strap is passed through the saddle-ring and through the strap passages in the buckle, the snap-hook of which has already been engaged with the sinch-ring, and the sinch may thus be tightened by the saddle-straps or lattigo -straps, which are reeved through the saddle-ring and the strappassages in the same manner as a rope is reeved through two double blocks,whereupon the saddle-strap may be secured by fastening one of its perforations upon the tongue bearing against the cross-bar separating the strap passages.

Whenever it is now desired to remove the saddle from the horse, the sinch-rings may be unhooked from the snaphooks, the saddlestraps having first been unfastened from the tongue, and there will be no necessity for unreeving the straps from both sets of rings, as is necessary in the old style sinch and straps. A billet, 20, is secured with its upper edge to the body of the buckle, depending to the rear of the hook, being preferably slightly larger than the sinch-ring and of about the same shape as the said ring and the lower part of the buckle, the said billet preventing the buckle and ring from injuring the animal when the straps are tightened.

It will be seen that the strap or lattigo engaging the upper end or arm of the tongue will keep the lower arm of the tongue bearing against the recessed free end of the snap-hook, keeping the latter closed and preventing the sinch-ring from becoming disengaged While the saddle-strap is buckled in the lower strap-passage.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- In a buckle for riding-saddles, the combination, with the body portion 9, having two transverse strap-passages, 10 and 11, at the upper portion, and a hook port-ion, 1-2, at the lower end, an aperture, 14, below the lower strappassage, and a cross-bar, 15, at its upper end, of the tongue 16, the middle of which is pro- .vided with a cross-piece, 17, and two lugs, 18

18, whereby the tongue may be secured to the cross-bar and kept from Wabbling upon the same by means of the cross-piece 17 substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN 'I. BUTLER.

Witnesses:

H. B. HAMILTON, R. C. EATON. 

